Base assembly for massage device



Nov. 13, 1962 J. F. WAHL 3,063,443

BASE ASSEMBLY FOR MASSAGE DEVICE Filed Dec. 3, 1959 INVEN TOR.

John E WQ/7/ v A 7 for/ways 3,063,443 BASE ASSEh/ELY FDR MAfiSAGE DEVICEJohn F. Wahl, Steriing, Ill., assignor to Wait! Clipper Corporation,terling, 121., a corporation of Illinois Filed Dec. 3, 1959, Ser. No.857,147 2 Ciaims. (131. 128-32) This invention relates to a baseassembly for a vibratory massage device, including a detachable pad, andis an improvement on the base assembly and pad described in U.S. PatentNo. 2,723,662 to Leo J. Wahl.

The base assembly and pad of the above described patent had a number ofshortcomings. For one thing, the base of the device was formed withlaterally extending flanges and the periphery of the pad had integrallymolded U-shaped flanges for embracing the base flanges. In addition, thepad was provided with screw receiving apertures which had to beprecisely positioned for alignment with the screw receiving apertures inthe base flanges. Molding the above described U-shaped peripheral padflanges and the apertures in the pad substantially increased the cost ofmanufacture.

It is apparent that it would be more desirable for a massage device tohave a replaceable pad which does not require peripheral flanges of anysort and which does not require mounting apertures so that the entirepad could be cut or stamped economically from sheet material.

Another shortcoming of the prior massaging device was that the casingwas secured to the base separately from the means with which the pad wassecured to the base. The use of a separate fastening means for the abovedescribed purposes further increased the cost of manufacture. It isclear that costs could be reduced if the massage device were designed sothat the casing and pad were secured to the base by the same attachingmeans.

What is needed therefore and comprises an important object of thisinvention is a massage device which has the above described improvedfeatures.

Another object of this invention is to provide a more elfective and morecomfortable method of securing the device to the hand through the use ofrectangular strap type springs.

An additional object of this invention is to provide an easilyreplaceable and extremely economical method of connecting these straptype springs to the casing of the device.

Other objects, advantages and details of the invention will be apparentas the description proceeds, reference being bad to the accompanyingdrawing wherein one form of the invention is shown. It is to beunderstood, of course, that the description and drawing are illustrativeonly, and that the scope of the invention is to be measured by theappended claims.

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a device embodying the invention.

FIG. 2 is an end elevational view of the massage device shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the massage device.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 55 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the improved pad.

Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawings, a massage device indicatedgenerally by the reference numeral 10 comprises a casing 12 and a baseassembly 14. The casing is provided with a pair of laterally extendingcasing mounting ears 16 and 18, see FIGS. 2 and 3, and these mountingears are in coextensive engagement with a pair of base assembly mountingears 20 and 22 integrally formed with the base assembly 14.

3,063,443 Patented Nov. 13, 1962 ice The lower surfaces of the baseassembly mounting ears 20 and 22 are provided with upwardly extendingstrap receiving slots 24 and 26, see FIGS. 3 and 5. These slots do notextend completely through the base assembly mounting ears, but insteadcommunicate with screw receiving openings 28 and 30 which extenddownwardly from the upper surfaces of mounting ears 20 and 22, see FIGS.2 and 4.

A resilient flexible strap member 32 elongated in cross section andformed from closely spaced wire loops is mounted on the base assembly14. The opposed ends 33 of the strap extend inside slots 24 and 26 asshown in FIG. 2. The casing mounting ears 16 and 18 are provided withscrew receiving openings 34 and 36 which are in alignment with screwreceiving openings 28 and 30 in base assembly mounting ears 20 and 22.Screws 38 and 40 extend downwardly through the openings 34 and 36 incasing mounting ears 1'6 and 18, and through openings 28 and 39 in baseassembly mounting ears 20 and 22 and on into threaded engagement withthe ends 33 of strap 32. This arrangement, in which the ends 33 of strap32 function as a nut, simultaneously locks the casing 12 and strap 32 tothe base assembly 14.

The base assembly 14 has an external base surface 42 recessed from anddefined by the base periphery portion 44, see FIGS. 1 and 4. A flexibleresilient uniformly thick cushion or pad 46 for protecting the back ofthe operators hand is mounted on the recessed surface 42. The peripheralshape of the pad conforms to the shape of the recessed base surface 42to provide a snug fit. With this arrangement, the strap 32 on the baseassembly 14 has the dual function of holding the pad on the base surfacewhen the device is not in use, and embracing the hand of the operatorduring use of the massage device in a manner well known in the art.

In this particular embodiment, the massage device is provided with aflexible resilient strap at each end of the base assembly, although itis contemplated that a massage device could have only one properlypositioned strap. The opposite ends 48 of second strap 50 are mounted inupwardly extending slots 52 and 54 at the front end of periphery portion44 of the base assembly 14, see FIG. 3. These slots communicate withscrew receiving openings 56 which extend downward from the upper surfaceof periphery portion 44. Screws 58 extending down through the openings56 are in threaded engagement with the ends 48 of the strap 50 to lockthe strap to the base assembly.

Leg members 60 on each side of the front end of the base assembly extenddownward from the base assembly periphery portion, as shown in FIG. 1.These leg members help retain the pad 46 on the base surface 42 andcarry a portion of the weight of the massage device when resting on asurface.

From the above description it is thought that the construction andadvantages of my invention will be readily apparent to those skilled inthe art. Various changes in detail may be made without departing fromthe spirit or losing the advantages of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a hand tool, the combination of a base and a wound wire strapmember having a rectangular cross section, said base having strap memberreceiving slots positioned and shaped to receive and closely confine theouter surfaces of the ends of said strap member, the said ends of saidstrap member positioned in said slots, said base having screw receivingopenings communicating with said slots, and screws in said screwreceiving openings in threaded engagement with the ends of said strapmember for holding the ends of the strap member in said slots,

the walls of said slots effective to prevent spreading of said strapmember ends whereby said screws are posi tively anchored in said strapmember ends.

2. In a hand tool, a basega wound wire strap member of rectangular crosssection, said base having spaced recesses of rectangular cross sectionadapted to receive the ends of said strap member and sized to restricttransverse expansion thereof, said'ends positioned in said recesses,said base having screw receiving openings communicating axially withsaid recesses, and screws in said screw receivmg openings in threadedengagement with said ends and anchoring said ends in said recesses, saidrecesses effective initially to orient said strap member with respect tosaid base and subsequently to prevent rotation of said spring member andconsequent loosening of said screws.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS994,270 'OBrien et a1. June 6, 1911 2,346,465 Wilcox Apr. 11, 19442,434,383 Benjamin Jan. 13, 1948 2,723,662 Wahl Nov. 15, 1955 2,768,621Wahl Oct. 30, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 272,758 Great Britain June 23, 1927486,844

Italy Nov. 18, 1953

